Texas bill would make identifying as transgender a felony punishable by jail

[Eugene]

Earlier DU threads:
• "Identity fraud": Proposed Texas state law would make identifying as transgender a felony
• Texas bill could charge transgender people with 'gender identity fraud', if passed

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Source: NBC News

Texas bill would make identifying as transgender a felony punishable by jail

The bill, while unlikely to pass, highlights the increasing extremism of legislation targeting trans people, especially in Texas, in recent years.

March 10, 2025, 2:12 PM EDT
By Jo Yurcaba

A Texas state bill could charge transgender people with “gender identity fraud,” making it illegal to identify as trans on official documents and potentially leading to jail time.

The bill, which was filed last week by Republican state Rep. Tom Oliverson, would make it a state jail felony if a person “knowingly makes a false or misleading verbal or written statement” by identifying their sex assigned at birth incorrectly to a governmental entity or to their employer. State jail felonies in Texas are punishable by up to two years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000.

Oliverson did not immediately return a request for comment. So far, the bill has no other co-sponsors, making it unlikely to pass, the Houston Chronicle reported. However, the bill is among the first of its kind nationally and is an example of how legislation targeting trans people has become more clear in its intent and more extreme in recent years, particularly in Texas.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/texas-bill-identify-transgender-state-felony-rcna195642

[Lovie777]

1. Red states love to inflict as much punishment on people they hate.................

[Ilsa]

5. Another distraction from getting real work done. nt

[Irish_Dem]

2. Next up: Women only allowed to be identified as non male.

Using the word "female or woman" will be a felony.

[J_William_Ryan]

3. 'charge transgender people with "gender identity fraud"'

What’s frightening is that the Trump Court would likely uphold such a law, consistent with its ‘let the states decide’ dogma – might even use it to overturn Lawrence.

[Ilsa]

4. As a practical matter, if a person shows up in

apparel that's more feminine, and they say they are trans, then one could assume that they are born male.

But what business is it of theirs anyway?

[timms139]

6. I would change that

they were born resembling a male. People are born as both and I truly believe that the mind can be a completely different sexual makeup than the outside appearance. I think these politicians know that but it is a thing that most can't wrap their minds around so as usual Republicans use it as a wedge issue no matter how much it harms innocent people. What do they say when a baby is born with both sexual organs and the parents decide they want a girl and as the baby grows it reveals a mistake by the parents and the doctors. They would have been labeled a girl at birth so how is it proven that that is wrong. Would Republicans accept the tests that could prove it or reject what science could reveal to them ?

[Ilsa]

9. I agree completely. I was

trying to simplify it for the republicans.

I've given out statistics, explained things like ambiguous sexual organs in newborns, etc. I've tried to explain that I don't care if a trans female is playing sports if she is taking female hormones. But ultimately I end up hearing "It's just how I think it should be," or something like that.

[Exp]

7. Ignorance creates fear, fear creates hate. Time for $$$ to start leaving TX. Everything is BIG in TX, especially the

SUCK.

[Wonder Why]

8. Wait until the child or grandchild of a Texas repug comes out as transgender.

They will all be squirming.

[Old Crank]

10. Republican Jesus's love

On full display in Texas.